So, like, what is the actual intended purpose of warmode?

[Ashiraya]

To clarify, I don't enjoy PvP particularly much. I have done a fair deal of it in my day but nowadays I turn to games that I think are better suited for it when I feel like PvP.

Since the release of BFA, I have consistently used warmode. On my server (EU) Alliance has a 25% bonus, which is a colossal benefit in the long run - especially since I plan on rerolling next patch, and therefore AP will remain pertinent.

Despite this bonus, it's pretty rare for me to actually encounter any Horde players, and when I do it's almost always easy to avoid the few who actually try to attack me. Stopping to fight is simply not worthwhile, which I think both I and most of them recognise; the reward for a WPvP kill is tiny unless you do a WPvP quest, and even if I actually do feel like doing Against Overwhelming Odds I just use the group finder to find some crossrealm PvP hotspot (usually Nazjatar or Mechagon), get it done in ten minutes and then get on with my life.

What really made me think was what just happened earlier tonight (it's 3am where I live). I thought I'd get the Zuldazar incursion done before bed, since no one plays at this hour, right? Wrong. I was the only Alliance there, but several Horde gankgroups were camping all the incursion WQs with great determination, and after flying around for a good while I determined that they weren't giving up, so I turned off WM, completed the incursion and called it a night.

And what it all makes me wonder is, what is the point of warmode? Some people tell me that it is crucial, that it is there to compensate WPvPers for their time lost WPvPing - but that is not what I am seeing. Most people are not fighting, and the gankgroups I saw tonight flying around desperately for a kill ever 15-20 minutes can't be having too much fun either (nor does a 25% bonus compensate for those groups completely preventing you from doing WQs at all). A more cynical take would be that warmode's huge bonuses are there to entice people who don't actually want to PvP into making themselves targets for those who do, but even that seems like a paltry reason since it's so very easy to avoid confrontation.

I am starting to feel like warmode needs to be totally overhauled, because as it is, does it even have a point? If you want to WPvP, what do you care about getting 14 extra war resources per WQ? If you don't want to PvP, will getting 23 gold extra per WQ convince you that PvP is suddenly fun? From what I can see, warmode is just an inconvenience, nothing else.

Korrak's is kinda similar in that it's PvP but the huge XP entices a lot of people who just want to level but have no interest in PvP. The result? Tons of AFKers, low actual participation, and people giving up even faster than in normal BGs.

[Soon-TM]

To bribe people into ganking world PvP by offering PvE bonuses, as well as a slightly more interesting toolkit for your class of choice.

[Ashiraya]

Isn't that a pretty weak excuse for Warmode to work the way it does? If you like WPvP, you probably don't need the extra encouragement to do something you would probably do anyway - and that you probably did long before WM bonuses even became a thing. And if you dislike WPvP, like me, then being 'forced' into WM because of the bonuses just becomes an annoyance.

[Khaza-R]

You sort of put its purpose in your own post? When you don't feel like engaging in WPvP you can turn it off and continue to go about your business.

[Th3Scourge]

It's pretty self evident. Players who want to engage in wpvp can do so. Those who do no can opt out.

You must be pretty thick to miss that

[Relapses]

15 years of people generally not giving a shit about W-PvP placed Blizzard with a difficult proposition: Keep the status quo and let this portion of the game effectively die out or try something different to see if they can bring some excitement back into W-PvP. They went with the latter choice and while Warmode isn't perfect, like many compromise solutions Blizzard has introduced lately, it's at least brought back some luster. The only issue I have with it is summoning stones.

[agentsi]

It's pretty self evident. Players who want to engage in wpvp can do so. Those who do no can opt out.

You must be pretty thick to miss that

He doesn't get attention if he doesn't ask stupid questions, which by the way, he answers in his own post. Come on bud, you know what he is fishing for here.

[f4ncybear]

So that people playing as "wrong" faction on 90/10 realms can actually go out in the world without transferring.

[Nathasil]

Isn't that a pretty weak excuse for Warmode to work the way it does? If you like WPvP, you probably don't need the extra encouragement to do something you would probably do anyway - and that you probably did long before WM bonuses even became a thing. And if you dislike WPvP, like me, then being 'forced' into WM because of the bonuses just becomes an annoyance.

That is the point: If you were looking for WPvP there were no lambs to slaughter around anymore. So Blizzard designed Warmode to lure Alliance PvE farmers on their Alt chars into the blades of Horde mains looking to bash targets with no chance of ever fighting back. The old PvP-Server infrastructure did not allow that anymore, as ALL of the huge PvP-Realms had become one-faction-servers long ago.

Unfortunately, Blizzard was too incompetent to read their own playtime-statistics and see that after 10 years of total neglect and shit-showering there was actually almost nobody left playing Alliance in endgame content. So Warmode fell flat on its nose. And has not gotten up yet. Probably never will.

It's a stupid system designed to hide the fundamental flaws of a bigger system (factions) which Blizzard does not want to touch, even though it's breaking down in front of their eyes.

Also, let me guess: You are playing on a RP-Realm? Because if you were playing on a std. PvE realm you would encounter far more Horde out there. RP shards and std PvE shards don't mix in warmode without being explicitly invited.

[Hellobolis]

pretty sure the overal horde/alliance ratio is reasonably close to 50/50 across all servers.

so in theory warmode is a good idea, but the implementation seems wonky. the lack of wpvp "objectives" probably also doesn't help.

[Ashiraya]

Also, let me guess: You are playing on a RP-Realm? Because if you were playing on a std. PvE realm you would encounter far more Horde out there. RP shards and std PvE shards don't mix in warmode without being explicitly invited.

I am indeed on an RP server, but I am not sure about that sharding rule, because the group I saw tonight were all from Kazzak, Hyjal and Tarren Mill - all of which are normal realms. Usually, all Hordes I see are from Defias Brotherhood, which is indeed RP.

[melodramocracy]

It's a social engineering exercise. Nothing more, nothing less.

[Xi Jinping]

Listeen you got gangked and now you're complaining on forums, fair enought. But warmode saved world pvp for me, I have had endless fun and unexptected situtations unfold and I'm never gonna turn Warmode off again.

Why can't you see the point about warmode? It's because we have too factions at war with each other. It's a feature that reflects that

"To ask why we fight... ... is to ask why the leaves fall. It is in their nature. Perhaps, there is a better question."

[Yunaqt]

...and now that it’s global, the entire world is moving to one faction (horde), albeit gradually.

Not the entire world some pockets are heavy Alliance. Oceanic being the key example.

[munkeyinorbit]

If you had listened to Blizzard, the intention was to give everybody the option to PvE or PvP server without having to change servers and leave friends behind. The bonus was intended to allow for situations where a player may be out matched or over powered by the opposite faction.

Just like the ML issue, the real intention was for Blizzard to mitigate the damage the player base was doing to itself. Massive amounts of ninjaing and loot denial forced blizzards hand for ML. Rivers of tears about world PvP flowed constantly. People made the choice to go to these servers and eventually found themselves unable to compete out in the world because they chose the wrong server.

As we see now with Classic, people are massive dickbags. They choose a PvP server and then are essentially stomped to the ground. Then they blame blizzard. Warmode stopped this. The only problem is that bonuses should have been XP only and people should have been convinced by fun gameplay and appropiate rewards for participating.

[Relapses]

I guess the issue is, why does warmode have a bonus? Pvp realms never did.

Because without it, a certain percentage of players would never have it on. Some players will PvP no matter what. Some other players will avoid PvP even if PvP is enabled. The incentive is to get agnostic people in either camp to engage in W-PvP.

[Soon-TM]

The only problem is that bonuses should have been XP only and people should have been convinced by fun gameplay and appropiate rewards for participating.

Bonuses should have been just some bonus XP and PvP currency for WQs. Nothing more, nothing less. Oh, and less lopsided shards, since it's no fun being 2 hordes against a death squad of 30+ allies (or vice-versa).

[Syegfryed]

basically to shut up people who joined a pvp server constantly complained and cried about the pvp on it

[Relapses]

The bonus is substantial. 10% xp is huge, saves hours of leveling. That's enough that many people who don't want to wPvp will do it for the bonus.

I don't see why a bonus is needed, just let people play what they like. I can see a cosmetic reward or a title for wpvp but the bonus is a problem.

If they left it cosmetic, players in either of the camps I mentioned would simply continue playing the game the same as they always have. Warmode was introduced to incentivize W-PvP while still providing an "out" for players on PvP server who simply don't give a shit. If the reward isn't worth the risk, nobody takes it.

[Ashiraya]

Bonuses should have been just some bonus XP and PvP currency for WQs. Nothing more, nothing less. Oh, and less lopsided shards, since it's no fun being 2 hordes against a death squad of 30+ allies (or vice-versa).

I think this makes sense. Warmode is essentially form of PvP, since it is an extra thing on top of your usual world quests (which have their own rewards). So, they should give rewards of the same categories as other forms of PvP.